Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Supreme Court rulings have been interpreted by the public and by many school officials as prohibitions on religious discussion, exploration and expression in the classroom. The resultant discouragement of inter-faith discussion reduces both the cultural literacy of students, and the potential moderating influence of the public schools on religious prejudice. This poster argues, (1) that Supreme Court rulings since the late forties express a respect for cultural diversity, (2) that integral to cultural diversity is religious diversity, and (3) that not only have Supreme Court’s decisions never prohibited interfaith dialogue in public education, they have, in fact, encouraged it.